A Love Renewed and Rekindled
by CrystallineSnow
Summary: Do I have to write a summary? Ok, Momo decides to become stronger so she goes to the world of the living. There is something going on with the timelines so i don't know when this is taking place. The point is that we must go on a journey with Momo as she learns many things about herself and others. If you can leave a review that would be awesome possum!
1. Chapter 1

Toshiro Histugaya looked expectantly across the sea of houses, illuminated by the bright light of the full moon. He had sent for Momo Hinamori to talk to her one last time before she went away. _Momo sure is keen on becoming stronger,_ Toshiro thought, ironically so because lieutenant Hinamori was already so powerful. He was about to continue dwelling in his thoughts when he saw a faint sillouette in the distance.

Momo Hinamori rushed across the peaks of the roofs, making as little sound as possible. She wondered what Captain Hitsugaya wanted to talk to her about. She blushed light pink at the thought of him, but then dismissed it as the night wind and the running making her blush. She knew she had feelings for Toshiro, of course, they had been very close ever since they were little, but now she felt as if it were something more. Before her thoughts could finish she could see the shine of white hair under the moon in the distance.

Captain and Lieutenant met on a roof indistinguishable from the others, red tiles overlapped and capable of sliding at any moment. Captain beckoned the older Lieutenant to sit next to him. For a while he gazed at the moon, getting lost in it. Momo sat next to him, pulling her knees up to her chest. Once in a while she sneaked a peek at him when she was sure he wasn't looking. The serious expression he always wore was faded and mixed with an expression of satisfaction, one she had not seen in a long time.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Momo?" The captain tilted his head, looking up at her from his slim figure propped up by his elbows. He searched her eyes, as if they could answer, and not her lips. Momo looked away, suddenly uncomfortable and blushing slightly. The intensity of his eyes were no more than how he looked at everyone, but perhaps it was her imagination running wild again. She turned back and answered.

"Yes, I want to become stronger and become captain of squad 5," she said in an unwavering and defiant tone, as if she was challenging him to protest. To her suprise he simply sat up and continued looking at the sky.

"If that's what you want, then go ahead Lieutenant Hinamori," Toshiro said in a voice barely higher than a whisper,"No one can stop you. I just want you to promise me. . . . " He stood up and looked down at her, "that you will be careful."

"I-I promise, Toshiro," Momo Hinamori whispered back. And with that, their night under the full moon had ended, leaving the stars and the moon alone.


	2. Chapter 2

After a while Toshiro began to behave oddly, staying up late until dark circles appeared under his eyes and refusing to eat. He spent most of his time staring into space, lost in his own thoughts. His lieutenant, Rangiku, noticed this and began to question him. One day while she was asking him for the millionth time he finally snapped.

"Captain Hitsugaya, are you sure you're all right? You haven't been eating or sleeping! Please, tell me what's wrong. We cannot afford to have you be this way, especially with all the commotion and craziness going on around here," Rangiku exclaimed with her hands on her hips. Her orange hair bounced on her shoulders, becoming a mess after the shaking of her head. She looked at him with a fierce look that seemed demanding yet, motherly, in a way.

Toshiro simply turned away from her and looked out the window. He wanted to tell her that he was worried for Momo ever since she went out into the world of the living to train. He wanted to tell her everything that was bothering him. He knew no one else would listen, and if they did they would. . . Well he didn't know what they would do. It was just too big a secret to share with anyone, so instead he decided to ask her," Rangiku, have you ever felt like a piece of you is missing, that you couldn't live until that piece was brought back?"

The Lieutenant wasn't expecting such a comment, and didn't know what to say. She ran this over through her head and suddenly it was clear to her. Toshiro Histugaya, her captain, was lovesick. This struck her like a rock, no a boulder, as she tried to fathom who he could possibly be talking about, and why all of a sudden. To her, he had always been a child. Sure, he had an incredible amount of soul energy and was one of the 13 captains, but he was still a child. _I guess he's reached adolescence_ already, she thought to herself. He had grown a lot since he became captain; it had been more noticable in the recent years.

"You miss Lieutenant Hinamori, don't you, Captain?" She said in a soft voice. He looked up and lost the far away look in his eyes. She continued," I understand Captain, I know what its like. Why don't you go visit her?"

"She's in the world of the living! How am i supposed to go visit her? The council won't let me go for something as trivial as missing her!" While he was saying this his arms were making exaggerated motions, and afterwards his shoulders heaved with a huge sigh and he slumped down into his chair.

"You know you are a Captain of the 13 guard squads right?"

He stared at her, as if this was new news. She returned the stare with a face-palm, and excused herself out of the room, fixing her hair. After a while he broke out of the daze and began making preparations for his planned trip to the world of the living.

AN: I know these chapters are short, but think of them as convenient!


	3. Chapter 3

Momo sat under a big oak tree and looked up at its branches. They waved down at her as if to say "What's wrong?" There was nothing particularly interesting in the world of the living so she was never distracted by anything. She guessed it was a blessing yet a curse at the same time. She could focus on her training and hopefully become captain to replace Captain Aizen. Captain Aizen, the name still ran through her like a sword. He had betrayed her, betrayed everyone. She fought back tears and sighed, then she looked up at the branches again and they were still, as if they had finished talking and were patiently waiting her reply. She looked at the ground; there was an ant on the tip of a blade of grass. She extended her finger towards it, then froze. There was a hollow nearby, she could sense it.

Momo stood up abruptly, gripping the hilt of her zanpakto. The lieutenant searched for the hollow's spiritual power again, it was to the right of her, but there were others there. She needed to help them before the hollow could get to them. Momo sprinted toward the hollow, her hands pulling out her zanpakto, her feet making little paps on the grass. She turned a corner and held her sword in front of her. The sunlight glinted off the tip of it as it shone in her eyes.

Ichigo and Rukia had decided to go hollow hunting just for fun. However, it had been a slow day and there wasn't a hollow in sight, well, sense.

"Aghhh, Rukia, there isn't a hollow anywhere. Why did I even agree to do this with you," Ichigo crossed his arms and looked down at the small shinigami with an irritated look. Not all that different from the usual look he had on his face.

"Look, we will find a hollow. I just wanted to have a nice time, and the only thing you seem to enjoy is hollow hunting," the shinigami looked back up at him with defiance, pretty firey for someone so small. Just then she sensed a hollow, "Ichigo, there's a hollow nearby. Follow me!" She took off running in front of her.

"Hey, wait for me Rukia!"

Momo faced a giant hollow. It's mask had slanted eyes and a giant grin. There was a small crack, like a scar, across the right eye. It had the body of a sort of reptile, with powerful legs and arms that reached forward along with a greenish hue, and of course there was the gaping hole in its chest. It turned towards Momo, roared, and tensed its muscles, as it was ready its stance to charge at her. She, in turn, gripped her zanpakto harder, spread her legs, and ran at the monster. They both charged at the same time with shouts not heard by anyone, or at least that's what they thought. Momo leaped at the last minute, bringing her sword down directly on the square of its forehead. It yelled out in frustration and turned into a black butterfly, aimed for the soul society.

Ichigo just stared at the girl. He remembered seeing her somewhere, but he couldn't remember where. She was definitely a soul reaper, so he had seen her when he went to save Rukia from being executed, but he had been so intent on saving Rukia to notice the other soul reapers. Nevermind that, she just slayed the hollow he was itching to fight. "Hey, who do you think you are, that hollow was mine!"

Ichigo took a step forward, but a hand grabbed his clothes, pulling him back. "That's a lieutenant of the 13 court guard squads of the soul society. You remember when you went there to rescue me?(Not that I needed rescuing) Well, you probably shouldn't mess with them for now. I don't think they forgive quite yet," Rukia hissed. She let go of his clothes, knowing he wouldn't go charging at the girl again.

"Geez, ok,"Ichigo stepped back. It wouldn't hurt to ask the girl what she was doing here at least. "Hey, you, soul reaper or whatever, who are you and what are you doing here?"

Momo turned at the sound of voices behind her. She took the opportunity to stand up straight and straighten her clothes as well as put her sword away. She was about to leave, as the two were clearly too engaged in conversation to notice her. Suddenly the orange-haired boy yelled at her. She would be late with her training master if she kept stalling, but she decided the two were harmless and decided to talk with them.

"My name is Momo Hinamori, soul reaper, and I came to the world of the living to train to become stronger."

"Uh huh, and who's training you?"

"Oh, Mister Urahara Kisuke. He's very kind and even offered me a place to stay. Speaking of which, I have to go now. He's expecting me for evening training."

"Ugh, old Hat and Clogs, that guy nearly killed me," Ichigo leaned his head back and winced with the memory. "Anyway, if you need to get going, we won't stop you from training to death. Bye Momo Hinamori! It was nice meeting you." Ichigo turned on his heel and waved his hand once, walking away slowly like a wannabe cool kid. Rukia bowed to the lieutenant, and followed Ichigo in suit, the two instantly began fighting over another pointless topic. Momo watched as they dissapeared from her view, suddenly missing Toshiro. Now was not the time for feeling sentimental, maybe after she was punished with an extra hour of training for being so late.

**AN: You wanted longer chapters? My idea manager finally gave me inspiration. Yes, that's you Jasmine. I might not be updating for a while because i have the NYLSC coming up. Maybe i can smuggle my lapto-**

**Ichigo: Hey, who called me a wannabe cool kid! Bet you can't say that once you've seen my zanpakto! Come out and fight me you coward!**

**AN: Oh shist . . .**


	4. Chapter 4

Toshiro leaped into the crisp night air with little effort, the wind fluttering his clothes and his shock of white hair. His sheathed sword bounced against his left leg as he landed on a telephone pole; his right toes touching first, then the rest of his feet. He had gotten the whereabouts of where the lieutenant was training from Renji, who heard it from who-knows-who. Out of all the captains in the soul society, Renji had been the one most involved in the world of the living. In fact, he probably knew how many soul reapers were in there at this very moment. The rest of the captains never seemed to pay much attention to the other world, for they were either too busy with other tasks or had the idea that humans were much lower beings and did not concern them, or at least, that's what Toshiro thought captain Kuchiki thought. The soul society was in discord at the moment, so it was nice to be away from it all. The captain was actually relieved to be away from all those old-timers, stressing about every little problem, and although Toshiro himself had his own things to stress about, he let himself be caught up in the wind, which was something he rarely, if ever, did.

Jumping from roof to pole to roof, the captain searched for the place that the subordinate had described, a small green-roofed hut. It would certainly stand out from above in the daylight, but at night it was hard to notice dark colors. The captain slowed down his pace to make sure he did not pass over anything, his eyes searching the landscape below him.

Momo Hinamori had little time to think in the short breaks between the battering and relentless teachings of Urahara Kisuke. And it was when he was going easy on her , too. Urahara sure was getting a kick out of it though, or at least that's what it looked like. The man always had a humorous personality that made Momo feel as if he was drunk nearly all the time, even though she never saw him drink.

"Alright, that's enough. You can do whatever you like now, just don't be late for tomorrow at 4, ok?" Urahara was already making his way back up to the little hut. They had trained in the underground(and very vast and large)chamber that was under the hut. His voice echoed throughout the chamber, the softness fading away much quicker that the roughness of his voice, making it sound as if there were two people talking. Momo just sat on a rock for a while, picking her sword off the ground and re-sheathing it, satisfied with resounding click that it made. She decided that she couldn't bear it anymore and climbed up the ladder after a few moments as well. Climbing would serve as a word that would do her actions an injustice. She jumped up the ladder if anything else, as if the wall in front of her was in actuality the floor. With a slight bow toward the two children in the room, she made her way out, flipping from the open window, pushing off from the rim, and landing feet flat on the roof tiles. The full moon shined on the tiles, making them glow with a faint light. There was a breeze like the one on the night she and Toshiro had had their last talk.

Momo sat on the tiles, thinking about what Toshiro had said. She had promised to be careful, which he made her do. That was nothing out of the ordinary, for he was always fearful of her safety. That was the very reason why she wanted to become stronger. That and the fact that she still wanted to make her captain proud. It couldn't be helped, and even though he had turned to the dark side, she still looked up to him. It was a complicated knot of confusion, so she let the matter drop in her mind. She started thinking about captain Hitsugaya again, and his parting words. Was there a hidden meaning behind them? There often was, because he was always subtley warning her of dangers to come. She never wondered how he knew, but now, getting a chance to think about it, she was awed. He had known of all the conspiracys long before any of the other captains or lieutenants. Maybe that was just another one of his talents, being observant to everything, even the most insignificant.

"It wouldn't be too much to ask for a chance to visit him, would it,"she asked to no one in particular because she knew the answer to the question. Suddenly a blur of shadow crossed her vision. Sitting up straight, Momo scanned her eyes across the surrounding area, but everything was still.

"You let your guard down Momo," a voice said behind her. She jumped in suprise, and looked behind her, hoping it was who she thought it was.

**AN: Who do you think it is? Sorry for the cliffhanger, I'm just super tired and i wanted this to be out before i leave.**


	5. Chapter 5

Momo turned around at the sound of an unseen voice. She turned in a nanosecond, and her bangs slapped her face, causing her to wince. But that wasn't the only reason she winced. Standing but a few feet away was her former captain, the one she was training to replace. It was Captain Aizen.

"Hello Momo, I hope you didn't miss me," the captain said, his eyes shadowed by the curls of his dark brown hair. The moon's shine glinted off his glasses, and he smile. At his former lieutenant. "Oh my, i hope i didn't startle you. I have been waiting for the right moment to speak to you. You see, i have missed you so much, my lieutenant. I want you to join me."

Aizen began to advance slowly towards Momo, who scrambled back on all fours, trying desperately to get away from the madman. Her fingers slipped off a roof tile, it bouncing off the edge of the roof, with her following, eyes wide open in fear and shock. The lieutenant landed on the ground flat on her feet. Certainly more graceful than the tile, which landed with a clatter and broke in two at her feet. Aizen was still on the roof, standing inches from where Momo fell. In a flash, Momo turned on her heel and ran as fast as her feet could take her in the direction of the park, where she had been resting in the afternoon. Powered by the numb fear Aizen had planted in her gut, Momo ran on blindly, the buildings passing her in a blur, and her thoughts came and went in a haze. All she could do was hope her training had been useful.

As she approached the grassy clearing she jumped up, turned around in mid-air,landed on her left foot, then her right, sliding as she did so, and unsheathing her sword as she finally slid to a stop, facing Aizen. Her eyes were unforgiving, and anyone with some sense would have turned heel and ran away.

"Now, there's no reason to be aggressive. I simply ask that you come with me, and join me. Will you do that, my faithful lieutenant?" Aizen asked, in case you didn't know.

Momo made no sound, but her actions spoke for her. The muscles in her shoulders tensed, and her right leg moved back, ready to act as a spring to propel her body toward her target. She shifted the grip on her zanpakto, turning it upwards, and it caught the faded light of the moon on its tip.

"Very well, if you won't choose to come with me, i shall have to take you by force," Aizen unsheathed his zanpakto angrily and charged at the girl.

"Momo look out!" A voice called from the trees. Suddenly, Toshiro was 5 feet in front of her, blocking Aizen's attack. Both sprung themselves away from each other with the levering force of their swords, hitting the ground and sliding back. Toshiro jumped back to where Momo was and whispered, " I thought i told you to be careful and not let your guard down."

"I-I was- Shiro-chan?"

He looked at her from his readied stance and raised an eyebrow. "We have to defeat Aizen first," he said in a serious voice, sensing that she wanted to say something. Momo nodded in return and they both faced Aizen just in time to see him jump and charge. Toshiro ran at him and they crossed blades, yelling as if the louder they were, the more strength they would get. In a flurry of motion, the two were locked in combat, neither allowing the other to get the upper hand. Toshiro knew then that Aizen had gottn much stronger, and if he wanted to beat him he would have to use bankai. In another flurry of motion he blocked the next attack and used that force to bounce back.

"Sit upon the frozen heavens, Daiguren Hyorinmaru,"he said gravely, and his zanpakto quickly changed shape. Hyorinmaru caused icy wings to cover his backside and also ice to cover his feet. An icy gauntlet appeared on his arm, and the released form of his zanpakto stood behind him. An icy dragon stared down coldly at Aizen, as did its partner. Hitsugaya flew up and swooped down with two beats of the crystal wings, aiming for Aizen. The dragon followed suit and attacked the place where Aizen was standing. The ground was covered in ice, but the target had moved out of the way in time. Toshiro spread his wings and was lifted back into the air again. Using Hyōryū Senbi, an attack that allows him to swing his sword in a linear direction and create an arc of ice, he attacked again, but Aizen dodged again.

"Aizen's gotten stronger, and faster," Toshiro panted under his breath. He needed to end this soon, however, his moment of thought never allowed for him to dodge the attack Aizen made. The blade ran throught the center of Toshiro's body. Time seemed to stand still as the crimson blood ran down the body and the blade to the floor. Toshiro's ice-blue eyes were wide open, as was his mouth, from which he was coughing out blood.

In a second that moment was over and the sword was taken out with a sickening squelch. Toshiro fell to the floor, his sword returned to its normal form next to him, and he lay there unconcious.

"I'll kill you Captain Aizen!"

Hinamori ran at the man, blind with anger and grief, and released her shikai. The ordinary katana changed into a three-pronged sword of sorts, with a center blade, and three thin blades branching off of it at regular intervals. Summoning her spirit energy, Momo created fireball at the base of the hilt and flung it at Aizen. With blow after blow, she took her wrath out on the unsuspecting traitor. All her feelings were directed toward him in a firey haze, her anger portrayed in a blaze.

When she ran out of anger and was exhausted of her spirit energy, she could see that Aizen was standing across from her, also exhausted of energy as he had been blocking each and every blow of the lieutenant's.

"You've gotten stronger Momo, and you may have beat me this time. However, I now have all the more reason to chase you now Hinamori; all the more reason to make you one of my subbordinates again, an espada.. . . "

His voice trailed off as he sliced open the air in front of him and stepped in. Before Momo could protest he had slipped inside the portal fully and it had closed behind him.

"Aug h . . . M. . Momo?"

Toshiro struggled to sit up. He had gained his conciousness back just when Aizen had gone away. He lay in a pool of his own blood, on the verge of unconciuisness again.

"Toshiro, don't get up! You've lost a lot of blood, I need to get you somewhere safe. Here, i'll carry you back to Mister Urahara."

And with that, she picked his fragile frame up in her arms and dashed towards the hut. The sun had begun to rise, its rays lighting up the dark night sky, giving it life. The burning soul of it looked over the cold moon, and they smiled at each other as the moon silently went back to sleep.

* * *

AN: Any requests on how the plot should go from here? I still haven't gotten the hang of action scenes, in my opinion. As for the time placement of the story, I don't really give a speck of rice about mixed up timelines so it may be a mixture of after Rukia's execution and the war, who knows what goes on in this mind of mine. Sorry i didn't upload in almost a week! I tried, but there was no wifi! *sobs in a corner*

AN: Anyway. . .

Ichigo: Where am i in the story?

AN: This isn't about you, Ichigo, it's about the characters who don't get screen time because of your antics and conceitedness!

Ichigo: Fine, see if i care!

Momo: Can you be quiet please, Toshiro is trying to recooperate!

AN: Oh BT-dubs, I don't own Bleach or any characters. Anyone go to kawaii-kon?


	6. Chapter 6

The sun lit up the insides of Toshiro's eyelids, creating a curtain of red and pink for his eyes to see. The curtains lifted and he was blinded by the mid-morning sun, causing him to shut his eyes again. His eyes fluttered open again, this time ready for the sudden light, and while he shook off the feeling of sleep he looked around the room he was in. It was a small, but cozy, room with wooden floorboards and windows set close to the ceiling. The walls were also wood, whitewashed no doubt, and he was lying in a small mattress set n the floor next to a round table with a diameter about as long as both his arms. Toshiro tried to sit up, but a sharp pain in his center refrained him from doing so. Instead, he emitted a cry as sharp as the pain itself.

Momo sat with Urahara at a table in another room, drinking tea and discussing the events which happened last night. Vivid scenes of the battle kept flashing in her mind, and she just wanted them to stop, especially the one with Toshiro, blood dripping from the sword of Aizen. Shaking her head, she stared at her tea. She hadn't slept ever since she had that fight, and normally this wouldn't have fazed her. She had served as a lieutenant long enough to become accustomed to the short hours of sleep. But now she felt like a fragile piece of paper held down by her heavy head. A cry came from the room where she had left Toshiro in, and they both swiveled their heads toward the sound, and if they were dogs, their ears would have surely twitched in alertness.

The door of the room slid open with a bang, and Toshiro turned his head toward the sound. Momo and Urahara stood there, relieved to see that he had not been attacked again. Momo ran to Toshiro's side, checking to see if he had strained his midsection.

"Toshiro, I'm so happy you're alive," she exclaimed, and hugged him as gently as she could muster. Tears of relief washed away her grogginess and worry.

"Of course I'm alive Momo, now can you please let go, I can't breathe," Toshiro said in a cracking voice. He too had been worried for the other one, but he knew better then to let emotions take control of him. After last night's events they couldn't be too careful.

Momo let go of their embrace and Toshiro lay back down with a sigh. Suddenly, a voice said," There wasn't any damage to your organs, thankfully. It was just a flesh wound so you should be healed in a couple of weeks, days if you're determined."

What was that supposed to mean, determined?

"Thanks for letting him stay here, Mister Urahara."

"Think nothing of it. I'm used to looking after soul reapers by now. Just make sure he doesn't overexert himself," Urahara readjusted his hat and turned around quickly so that his robe spread around in an arc. He stepped out of the room and closed the door with a bang.

"Toshiro, why do you think Captain Aizen attack me and try to capture me?"

Toshiro sighed, he knew the whole calling Aizen a captain thing was out of habit, but he couldn't help but think she still had a tiny bit of loyalty to him; or that she still thought Aizen had a smidget of good left in him.

"Aizen wanted you for his hollow-shinigami army. He wants you to become an espada," Toshiro said in a grim voice. He looked into brown eyes, waiting for her to grasp the situation before he said,"Promise me you won't . . . that you won't do anything dangerous. Even if he threatens to kill me, promise me you won't do anything he says. I don't want you to die, Momo, . . . "

Toshiro faded back into unconciousness again without hearing Hinamori's answer. Holding back tears, she said, "I promise, Shiro-chan. I promise i won't do anything dangerous. But i can't promise you that i'll stand down if you get hurt because . . . because . . . even though you want me to live, I can't live without you."

Toshiro faded back in just to hear the last part.

"I know," was all he said before he faded back to sleep.

Momo Hinamori sat next to a sleeping Toshiro for the better half of an hour, just thinking about all that they had been through together, and how he had always wanted to protect her even though he was younger than her.

Toshiro grumbled in his sleep, and Momo turned her head toward the sound. She hoped that neither of them would have to use dire measures against Aizen.


	7. Chapter 7

**K, So this takes place a couple of days after the last chapter. So sorry i could not update. I have about 3-4 projects all due in a couple of weeks. You can see why I haven't updated. Anyway, i don't own Bleach and let's get on with the show.**

**And yes, this is the last chapter. *Tear rolls down the face***

Toshiro sat on the roof just as the sun was beginning to rise. The darkness of the night was penetrated by hard rays of light and caressed by tender wisps of cloud. A spurt of golden and red hues came rushing forth like a forest fire and filled the sky with its glow. Morning made quick work of its masterpiece, turning it a shade of lighter blue and making the stars impossible to see.

So Toshiro sat on the roof, thinking about a number of things. The soul society, to name one that took much of his thought, surely would have heard of Aizen by now. That would further stoke the fire that was already ablaze with confusion and foolery. "Just a bunch of old fools," he muttered to himself, and then regretted it. He didn't regret it wholly, but nonetheless, regret was regret.

With a sigh, Toshiro looked at the inside of his robe. The wound that Aizen had conflicted upon him was more or less healed and in its place was a jagged, pink scar. It was a wonder that he had recovered in only 3 days. He had half a mind to believe that it was Momo who gave him the strength to recover. She had stayed by his side day and night, helping with the bandages and giving him water and food. Sometimes they talked, and other times they just sat there, doing nothing. They were never really doing nothing, though, for they were always thinking. Thinking of each other. Perhaps that was what Urahara was talking about. The will to live would serve its purpose in battle, but on the infirmatry bed, one would need a determined heart to get through the healing process, and Hinamori had acted as his heart, his center, his sun. The white-haired boy smiled a faint smile; he had forgotten when it was he had last made this act of emotion.

Toshiro was brought back to the present with someone sitting up against his back. He knew it was Momo, who else could it be, and he gave a greeting to his companion who had joined him on the roof.

"I think it's time we went back to the soul society," Toshiro voiced what they were both thinking," We have duties to attend to, and we have to warn them of Aizen if they haven't gotten wind of it yet, Captain Hinamori."

Momo nodded slightly and they prepared to go back to the soul society with a farewell.

* * *

**Um, about 2 years later. *shrug***

The soul society had finally restored itself to what accounted for as normal in that eccentric community. That was a relief, at least, to have no more troublesome paperwork or messages sent back and forth day and night, keeping everybody awake and on the brink of sleep. However, there was the trouble with Aizen, and the captains were gathered to deal with the nuisance who was becoming more and more of a threat everyday. Some wanted to rush into it while others wanted to lure him into a trap; still others wanted to just kill him and be over with it. This lead to a heated argument, and the longer it stretched, the more they forgot what they were fighting about.

"Stop!"

Every captain turned toward the voice. That is, every captain except the owner of the voice, Captain Hinamori. The squabbles suddenly stopped and the soul reapers straightened up and realized the foolishness of their fight.

"I will kill Aizen. I'm the only one who can. I _need_ to be the one to defeat him..." Her voice faltered as she struggled to voice her thoughts.

Everyone knew what she meant, though. They knew that the backstabbing of Aizen had pained her the most, and that the pain could only be washed away by facing the traitor and defeating him. It was a sensation all in itself, for it was neither grievance nor vengeance nor was it the act of getting a burden off the shoulders. It was universally known as an act of heroic vengeance because nobody knew what the word for it was. Either that, or the word had lost meaning over time and went on to mean something else.

They stood back and let Hinamori take the job of exterminating Aizen because they knew how much it meant to her. Hitsugaya, however, had a bad feeling about this, and his instinct was not something to laugh at. He decided to follow her.

* * *

**Fast forward to the action scene!**

Momo faced Aizen once again, this time knowing her fate and his hung in the balance that tipped in favor of the one who won. Little did she know that the fate of another was a hidden variable in the equation. All her concentration was directed toward the one who stood in front of her, the man who betrayed her and the whole of the soul society, and also the man whom she had looked up to once upon a time.

Eyebrows furrowed and created lines of anger on her usually happy face. She was not happy, not at all, with the person in front of her. A spark inside her flared into a magnificent flame, her anger poured out of her soul and into her zanpakto, causing it to glow with passion as well. Taking a step back, she readied herself for the battle that would start soon. Her hands gripped the sword just above her waist. She bent forward and got ready to charge at her target.

Aizen unsheathed his zanpakto with a metallic sound. His face was calm, as if it were a mask of serenity that he always wore. He had no doubt that he would win this little skirmish, and when he did, Momo Hitsugaya would one again belong to him.

Toshiro crouched a ways away from the actual scene of the battle, ready to step in and help if things got too out of hand. It wasn't as if he didn't have faith in Momo; he knew she had gotten a lot stronger and that she could fend for herself. Nevertheless, Aizen had also gotten a lot stronger, and the boy was concerned as ever for his friend. He'd never admit it though, not out loud and certainly not to himself.

"GGGYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH" was what it sounded like to Toshiro; the first cry of the battle. He watched as the two clashed swords again and again, sometimes narrowly missing a vital organ or tendon. The deadly weapons glittered in the heat of the battle, and the owners parried and attacked, trying to find a weak spot in the other. Garments began to acquire holes and tears in them, and faces and arms began to show signs of blood. The warm liquid slid down Momo's arm from a wound in her left shoulder. Slowly, it made its way onto the hilt of her sword, slithered down the blade, and one single crimson bead dropped into the dust below. Both were panting, sore, and beaten up. Momo fell to her feet, and then staggered back up wincing. Aizen knew for sure that he was going to win. In front of him an opportunity revealed itself that might not come again in a long time. Gathering what was left of his stamina he charged at the newly appointed captain who was struggling to get back on her two feet. His sword pointed toward the heart. If he could not have her, then he would have to kill her.

Swish

...

"Aaaagh!"

Silence.

Aizen hung lifeless on top of a blade fixed in his heart. Momo had fallen back down again with wide brown eyes. In front of her was Toshiro! He had saved her in the nick of time because one second later and either he or Momo would have been stabbed in the heart. Toshiro turned around and let the body of Aizen fall to the ground. He offered Momo a hand and picked her up on her feet. She wavered a bit and grabbed Toshiro's shoulder for support. A great deal of blood had been lost from the wound in her left shoulder, and her vision was getting a bit hazy.

"Toshiro. . . . Thank you, for saving me."

She passed out on top of him, and he fell under the sudden weight. Picking himself off the floor he made a tourniquet to slow the bleeding and carried her piggy-back style to the hospital for treatment.

**I know it was a weird and sudden death. Toshiro is way too OP in this. Don't get mad at me. Please. *Curls up in a corner**

* * *

**The Next Morning**

Momo woke up aching all over as memories flooded her mind. She sat up and rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes as she saw Toshiro with his face buried in his arms on the side of the bed. Just seeing his hair made her smile and gave her some comfort. She reached out to touch it, feeling the soft and silkiness of it. Soft as snow, one could call it. She ran her hand through it, and felt his head slowly lift out of his arms.

Toshiro woke up to the soft touch of a hand in his hair. Normally, this would have irked him, but he knew it was Momo so he didn't mind. He woke slowly, and looked up at Momo. His eyes met hers and before he knew it they were in a close embrace, feelings being traded through a type of communication that only could be understood by close friends or close lovers.

* * *

**Somewhere on a place on the timeline after all that happened**

Toshiro and Momo sat side by side on a burnt-orange tiled roof, looking at the full moon and its party of stars. They were alone and stranded on their own little island, in their own little world. Momo had her knees tucked up to her chest and was holding them there with her arms. Her head rested on Toshiro's left shoulder (He grew, ok?). Toshiro had his arm around her and rubbed her left shoulder. He could feel the scar that bore the memory of that day she faced Aizen through her robe. He had also been conflicted with a wound by the same person in the center of his body. Thinking about it made him shiver slightly at its memory and Momo looked at him with concerned eyes. She let go of her knees and wrapped her arms around Toshiro's waist, her head in the crook of his neck, and whispered,"No matter what happens, I'll always be by your side. Remember that, Shiro."

"I will remember, and I will always be by your side as well." He put one arm around her back and used the other arm for supporting himself so that he didn't fall onto the tiles.

Lost in themselves, they sat there for what seemed like forever. They didn't speak anymore; they didn't have to. The moon and the stars did all the talking for them.

The moon was full that night. Shining bright with happiness and hung lazily in the sky with contentedness. He was happy to be there in that moment with the one he had been through everything with. The one who truly understood him better than anyone else. The stars twinkled with smiles on their faces, one shining brighter than all the others. She sat next to the moon, sharing his silence and his brightness. Their pale glows lit up the night sky like a candle in pitch darkness. There was never a time where either of them had ever been more content with their lives, nor was there ever a time where either had ever felt more at ease with the one next to them.

**The End**

**So uh, yea that's the end. If you liked it, review.**

** If you didn't like it, review. **

**If you need to go to the restroom, review.**

** And if you have been sitting in that chair for over an hour, stand up and stretch. **

**Thank you for reading!**


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